Kota Kinabalu: More cost and energy saving LED lights will be installed here as 320 people took part in the City's Earth Hour 2014 answering the challenge thrown by Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir.

Madingkir pledged to get more LED lighting for the City if the total participants at this year's Earth Hour event at First Beach Tanjung Aru here exceeded 300 people.

According to him, City Hall is planning to replace the present streetlights with the LED type in its bid to reduce power consumption and save cost.

At the moment, the City Hall had installed 360 LED lights at the bicycle and pedestrian lane in Likas Bay while 76 had been installed in Jalan Pantai in the central business district as well as 30 in the outskirts. City Hall had also built 55 bus and taxi stops using the solar energy PV off-grid system.

This led to Madingkir making the challenge at the event which was officiated by Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Edward Yong Oui Fah and also attended by Sabah Parks Chairman cum President of WWF Malaysia, Datuk Seri Tengku Adlin.

Yong commended City Hall for its commitment to take part in the Earth Hour for the third consecutive year.

Kota Kinabalu was among five local authorities in the country participating in this year's Earth Hour.

Yong said actually the impact of switching non-essential lights for one hour was not that great but more important was to create awareness among the people on the importance of conserving energy.

Adlin in his speech said WWF-Malaysia has taken the initiative to advocate for all to go beyond the hour.

"WWF-Malaysia believes that helping Mother Nature does not stop after the hour, but supports a positive commitment for the planet that goes beyond the hour," he said.

After lighting the recyclable candles denoting the figure 60 + and at the far corner MH370 on the beach, Yong, Madingkir and Adlin together with more than 300 people took the Earth Hour Walk beginning from the First Beach to the Prince Philip Park and back. Earth Hour started in Australia, Perth in 2007 and each year the number of participating people and countries had increased by many folds.